• 🔹Umar's Assurance is an assurance of safety given by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab to the people of Aelia, the Roman name for Jerusalem. . 🔹By 637 AD, Muslim armies began to appear in the vicinity of Jerusalem. In charge of Jerusalem was Patriarch Sophronius, a representative of the Byzantine government, as well the head of the See of Jerusalem. Although numerous Muslim armies, under various commanders, began to surround the city, Sophronius accepted to surrender but he demanded that Umar come to accept the surrender himself. Having heard of such a condition, Umar ibn al-Khattab left Medina to Jerusalem. . The covenant stipulates the following : ♦️"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. This is the assurance of safety [aman] which the servant of God Umar, the Commander of the Faithful, has given to the people of Jerusalem. He has given them an assurance of safety for themselves, for their property, their churches, their crosses, the sick and healthy of the city and for all the rituals which belong to their religion. Their churches will not be inhabited by Muslims and will not be destroyed. Neither they, nor the land on which they stand, nor their cross, nor their property will be damaged. They will not be forcibly converted. ♦️The people of Jerusalem must pay the taxes (jizya) like the people of other cities and must expel the Byzantines and the robbers. Those of the people of Jerusalem who want to leave with the Byzantines, take their property and abandon their churches and crosses will be safe until they reach their place of refuge. The villagers [ahl al-ard, who had taken refuge in the city at the time of the conquest] may remain in the city if they wish but must pay taxes like the citizens. Those who wish may go with the Byzantines and those who wish may return to their families. Nothing is to be taken from them before their harvest is reaped. ♦️If they pay their taxes according to their obligations, then the conditions laid out in this letter are under the covenant of God, are the responsibility of His Prophet, of the caliphs and of the faithful."
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The egg (the dome), 1964 -Philippe Karam -Beirut, Lebanon
The Egg was commissioned as part of a modernist set of buildings in 1965, designed by the Lebanese architect Joseph Philippe Karam (1923-1976). The whole set was thought to be the ‘Beirut City Center’, a multi-use complex, which concentrated mainly on the hybridization of two programs: spaces for leisure activities (shopping mall, cinema) mixed with office spaces.
When the civil war started in 1975 the construction of the ‘Beirut City Center’ was still unfinished. Only one tower was built. But during several periods of war in-between 1975 up to 2006, the whole unfinished ensemble largely disappeared. The Egg and a large void for underground parking are the remaining fragments of Karam’s original plan for the ‘Beirut City Center’ that survived constant amputation due to urban warfare, bombings and further demolition of war-ruined parts commissioned by local authorities over the years. In the end the appearance of the remaining structure, nowadays known as The Egg
#formafantasma#architecture#modern#lebanon#beirut#holidayinn#war#lebanesecivilwar#houseoftoday#philippekaram

On International Migrants Day we remember the one million Syrian children who have been born as #refugees since the start of the Syrian war in March 2011. As the war rages on, 2.5 million Syrian children are living their childhoods in #refugee camps or in host communities.
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The majority of the 5.6 million registered #Syrian refugees are living in countries within the region: #Turkey 🇹🇷, #Lebanon 🇱🇧, #Jordan 🇯🇴, #Iraq 🇮🇶, and #Egypt 🇪🇬. The crisis is not only traumatic for the refugees, it’s also very demanding on the host communities’ natural resources and economy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In 2019, with our partners in the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), we’ll address the needs of both refugees and host community members through #education 📚📚📚, protection, economic opportunities for women, and basic services. Tap the link in bio to learn about how we, @unhcr, @unitednations, and 3RP are addressing the Syrian crisis.
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📷: UNDP / Sumaya Agha
Hasan, 2, was born in Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan 🇯🇴. He leans into his shelter, which he shares with his extended family who have lived in Zaatari since fleeing the war in 2013.
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#MigrantDay#Migrants#RefugeeCrisis#HumanRights#Standup4HumanRights#resilience#UNDP#GlobalGoals#SDG1#SDG2#SDG3#SDG4#SDG5#SDG8#SDG16